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Saturday, 18 May 2013

Proou Wooden Mudguards/Fenders for Brompton Bikes

Owning a Brompton is nothing but a pleasure. It is a handmade bicycle build with the care and attention that in this modern age is almost a thing of the past. Many Brompton riders opt to change the standard saddle for a leather Brooks saddle for much the same reason. They seem to go hand in hand. A company called Proou (please click on the link below) makes quite beautiful handmade mudguards/fenders and they very kindly sent me a couple of pairs to test out.

The first thing I noticed when I excitedly opened the box from Proou was the smell of wood. Next the colours. My photographs really don't do the colours justice. The uniform grain in the wood is stunning as is the marquetry which adds ash or walnut stripes.

Light: Maple and Walnut

It was quite a hard choice between which colour I liked the best? For my Orange Brompton bikes the lighter colour definitely worked better for me but the dark walnut and ash was so lovely that it was this that I fitted to my bike.

The Proou moniker

The people behind Proou have a long track record in wood marquetry. They started designing/ manufacturing furniture and eventually found their way in to making these mudguards/fenders. They have proved to be extremely popular and now export to a growing list of countries.

Dark: Walnut and ash

The mudguards/fenders from Proou come with additional bolts and washers although I found that I could reuse those from my existing mudguards/fenders.

The overall fit is extremely good and they have positioned the holes very accurately so that the metal stays, front flap and the wheel that lives on top of the rear mudguard/fender all fit perfectly. The only thing they don't include is a hole on the rear mudguard/fender for the small rubber flap. If you really wanted this it wouldn't be much of a problem to carefully drill a hole and do it yourself.

Fitted to my Original Orange Brompton

I had these mudguards/fenders all last week and was caught in fairly heavy rain one morning on my daily commute. I have to say that these wooden mudguards/fenders performed really well and were as functional as they were gorgeous to look at!

All the holes are there for the stays, flap etc

Proou also sell bottles of a wood protector called 'lasur.' This is a water based wood protector that only needs to be used once and a while. Proou say that lasur can be applied once a season or every time you feel like it after washing the mudguards/fenders down with a sponge and mild soap.

I have to say that I really liked both the colours and they certainly enhance the Brompton and just seem to work well. On my commute to work I share the road with lots of other cyclists. I cannot count the number of times this week when someone has asked me where I got them from and whether they make mudguards/fenders for full sized bicycles - which they do by the way.

One set of mudguards/fenders costs 130 Euros with shipping on top of this. For what you are getting this is great value and will only make your Brompton that bit more bespoke. You can order via their website but if you have any queries you can send them an email and you will receive a quick and friendly reply.

You can visit their website to find out more by clicking on the link below.

The rear wooden mudguard / fender is a little longer than the stock Brompton one and I encountered no issues when cycling in rain (and with a bright orange rain jacket I would have noticed the stripe)!

About Me

A blog about cycling adventures on my Brompton folding bicycle, Condor Fratello road bike and Whyte Bikes, mountain bike.
Read about my adventures as I cycle around London (and often further) on one of my bicycles.
One is an Orange P6L. My Condor Fratello road bike is a big wheeled addition to the fleet and I also have a Whyte Bikes mountain bike for added fun.
In addition to all this I occasionally write about the fountain pens I use.

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orangebromptoninfo@gmail.com

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